What are THE THREE RIGHT THINGS that I must do every day?

Creativity in all in a day’s work for a translator. When you are engrossed in deadlines and equivalents, there are three things that a translator must do EVERY DAY to ‘sharpen the saw’.

Read something that someone else has written – You have to read a lot of translated stuff daily – as a translator or as a reviewer. At a certain point, your mind starts translating every sentence and every word it reads or hears – or worse – correcting it. Take a break, READ. Read anything, that is not translated, that is written in that language. It can be your source language or your target language. It keeps your mind fresh; your brain picks up the new words, phrases.

Ask and appreciate – Wordy human interaction with fellow professionals. Ask their view on something that you have done today (keeping the confidentiality intact, of course), appreciate something that they have done. A particularly difficult sentence, a jargoned term, a figure of speech, some special efforts. You sure have something to share and something to appreciate of others. Do it in person, on phone or on social media. It rejuvenates your creative powers. And you know, what goes around, comes around!

Deliver- on time, first time right – Well, this is our bread and butter. What you have committed, deliver. Do I have to say it brings credibility? And yes, first time right. Try to do away any feedback, any revert, any rework. It is a double waste. You are a professional; you know how to achieve it. First, be clear on what the client wants exactly. Is it translation? Localization? Book language? Spoken language? Is it going to be read or heard? How much source language influence to be kept. How much translation of technical terms? Get the expectations right. Then work to the fullest. Enjoy what you are doing. Deliver.